Context Clues/Transcript
Transcript Text reads: The Mysteries of Life with Tim and Moby Tim and Moby are watching a television show. A man on the show is speaking. MAN: You realize that the world is full of cravens who pretend to be heroes. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Quiet, Moby. You know The Throne of Kings is my favorite show. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Oh, "craven" is another word for "coward". The show's character continues. MAN: A mind needs books as a sword needs a whetstone, if it is to keep its edge. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Yeah, I guess there are a lot of confusing words in this show. Moby hands Tim a letter. MOBY: Beep. Tim reads from the typed letter. TIM: Dear Tim and Moby, What are context clues? My English teacher says they can help me improve my vocabulary, but I'm not sure what she's talking about. Help! From, George (644 Orchard Lane). Well, George, when we talk about context, we're talking about something's surroundings. You know, like the setting, or the backdrop. Take a look at this picture. Tim holds up a picture of a baseball player. There is a question mark on the inside of the baseball glove. TIM: Can you tell what's missing by looking at the context? MOBY: Beep! TIM: Heck yeah, a baseball. The question mark disappears and a baseball is shown in the glove. TIM: You can do the same detective work with words. Let me grab my Throne of Kings books and I'll show you. Tim gets a stack of books, volumes ones through seven, and opens one of them. MOBY: Beep? TIM: Yes I've read them all. That's why I appreciate the show on a much deeper level than you. Anyway, when you see a word you don't know, it's usually surrounded by words you do know. So look at those words, and see if they can help you fill in the blank. Take this, for example. "During dinner, a group of mummers entertained the guests by acting out the story of an evil wizard." Above the text from the book, an animation shows medieval men drinking at a table and a sign that says "mummers." TIM: You probably don't know the word mummer. But look at what the author says. The word "mummers" is highlighted in the text. TIM: The mummers entertain people, and they act out stories. Can you think of another group of entertainers who act out stories? MOBY: Beep. TIM: Right. Actors. "Mummers" is an old-timey word for actors. The animation shows two actors replacing the word "mummers." TIM: Of course, there are different ways to look for context clues. Sometimes, a mystery word can be defined by its antonyms, or opposites. Take this passage. "Unlike his genteel brother, Hubert displayed poor manners and crude behavior." An animation shows Hubert drinking, burping without covering his mouth, and eating meat with his hand. Next to him is a sign that says "genteel." TIM: The mystery word is "genteel." "Genteel" is highlighted in the text. TIM: From the context, we know that it's the opposite of someone who's crude and has bad manners. MOBY: Beep! TIM: Right again. The word "genteel" describes someone's who's classy and dignified, like that guy. The animation shows Hubert's brother, who is genteel. He is well dressed, eats his food with utensils, and wipes his mouth with a napkin. Hubert wipes his mouth on his sleeve. TIM: You can also figure out a mystery word by looking for synonyms, or words that mean the same thing. Here take this one. "King Adenoid had married the comeliest woman in the realm, far lovelier and more beautiful than anyone in the Twelve Counties." Above the text from the book, an animation shows the King seated next to the word "comeliest." TIM: "Comeliest" isn't a word we see too often, but let's take a closer look. "Comeliest" is highlighted in the passage. TIM: First, it ends in the suffix "est," like biggest, smartest, and richest. The suffix "est" is highlighted in "comeliest." TIM: So the queen must be the best or most at something. But what? MOBY: Beep. TIM: In the same sentence, it says she's lovelier and more beautiful than anyone else. These descriptive words are highlighted in the text. TIM: Those are the synonyms we're looking for, she's the loveliest, most beautiful woman in the kingdom. An image shows the word "comeliest" next to the king being replaced by a queen surrounded by small red hearts. TIM: Okay, just one more trick. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Sometimes, a mystery word will be surrounded by examples that can tip off its meaning. Check out this excerpt: "Royalton city was filled with cathedrals, castles, and other huge edifices." An image shows a wall enclosing the buildings in the city. Over the buildings is the word "edifices." TIM: Now castles and cathedrals are both examples of big… MOBY: Beep! TIM: Flying monkeys? No! An animation shows flying monkeys have replaced the word "edifices." TIM: They're buildings, Moby. An image shows a castle and cathedral replacing the word "edifices." TIM: A cathedral is a building, so is a castle. So "edifices" means buildings. MOBY: Beep. TIM: That's true: sometimes there just isn't enough context to figure a word out. When that happens, there's no shame in using a dictionary. Tim holds a dictionary. Tim and Moby go back to watching the TV show. The character on it speaks: MAN: The thanes of these hibernal climes are mere vassals of the iron throne. The words "thanes," "hibernal," "climes," and "vassals" all appear on the screen covering the characters. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Uh. Category:BrainPOP Transcripts